flippergirl

I heard the voicemail, was worried and tried to call Susan back twice. Finally the phone rang.

“Paige…Peter drowned.”

Peter was a surfer and one of the Jersey shore gang I hung out with in my teen's and 20's. We dated one summer. At the time he was on top of the world. He was racing Formula Ford race cars so I went up to Lime Rock Ct with him and his parents one week end. My stomach still remembers the way he took those curves on the drive up to the track. Paul Newman was there and so was Warner Earnhardt. No relations to the Dale's (I don’t think)…but some hip psychological guru from California. Anyway….I can’t seem to remember exactly what trouble Peter had with the car. Had he flipped?

I do remember after we stopped seeing each other my mother heard that he was in Cosmopolitian Magazine as Most available bachelor of the month.

Peter loved to surf with Michael, Sue’s twin brother. As adults they traveled around the world in search of you know what. Now in their 50’s they had been together in the ocean last Thursday bodysurfing off New Jersey shore. Dear, sweet, careful Michael did everything he could to revive his long time buddy, but he could not win the battle against another’s destiny.

As far as anyone knows there was no trauma to his body. The sea had been strong…but not something they had not encountered before. I write this in my blog because it is about swimming in open water. I feel the loss of a friend, fear and confusion about the ocean right now.